Baroness: March To The Sea – new video & Live At Maida Vale – full EP stream

Any day that starts with BARONESS is bound to be a good day. Now prove me right, life. ‘March To The Sea’, shot (in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and directed by Jimmy Hubbard, gently points to BARONESS' new “live on the BBC” ‘Live At Maida Vale’ EP, issued as a super limited edition 12” in July 2013 through Relapse Records. “Complete with a gorgeous silkscreen of John Baizley's iconic swan image on the B-Side”, get this rarity here (Relapse online store), or digitally here (BandCamp):

Formed in 2003 on a music-rich soil of Savannah, Georgia, BARONESS released three EPs between 2004 and 2007: 2004's ‘First’, 2005's ‘Second’, and 2006's split with UNPERSONS titled ‘A Grey Sigh In A Flower Husk’, all enhanced with singer and guitarist John Baizley's highly recognizable art. Their debut long-player, 2007's ‘Red Album’ was produced by KYLESA's Phillip Cope, as were most of BARONESS' recordings until then, and issued through Relapse Records. Courtesy the label, listen to the full ‘Red Album’ below:

Its sister album, John Congleton-produced ‘Blue Record’, followed in 2009, breaking onto American Billboard Top 200 chart at number 117 as well as debuting at number 1 on the Billboard's Heatseekers chart, the record was admired by business' experts:

“This is a ferocious album that’s not afraid to be genuinely beautiful. One of the best hard rock releases of 2009,” [exclaimed Phil Freeman, AllMusic – more here:]

According to their faithful label and their biggest fan, Relapse Records, by 2012 BARONESS have “developed into more than just giants of the metal underground, they [have become a] fully formed hard rock titans”. And since fans of the band have come to expect nothing less than constant evolution from BARONESS, the band delivered. In 2012, they put forth a massive double album called ‘Yellow & Green’ which debuted at number 30 on the Billboard Top 200, selling over 12,000 copies its first week, and had the Canadian Albums Chart at number 75:

“Apparently, just one primary color was no longer enough to cover the volume of ideas produced by Atlanta, Georgia's BARONESS for its third long-playing release, and thus the 2012 follow-up to 2007's ‘Red Album’ and 2009's ‘Blue Record’ has become an 18-song double set named ‘Yellow & Green’. The irony is there’s no obvious cohesive theme or musical direction particular to either color (green might be a shade more morose, if at all), as each contains an equally schizophrenic array of musical touchstones, too eclectic to easily categorize. In fact, the biggest headline about this release pertains to something else entirely, and that is BARONESS' not entirely unexpected evolution into something other than a heavy metal band; one focused on expanding its arsenal of sounds and moods while embracing big choruses and more commercial songwriting tricks targeting maximum immediacy,” [listened carefully Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here:]

Not even a month after ‘Yellow & Green’s release, BARONESS, on its promotional tour, were involved in a dreadful traffic accident which occurred near Bath, England. As a result, John Baizley suffered a broken left arm and broken left leg, while former drummer Allen Blickle and former guitarist Matt Maggioni both suffered a fractured vertebrae.

BARONESS features: John Baizley – guitar and vocals, Peter Adams – guitar and vocals, Sebastian Thomson – drums and Nick Jost – bass and keyboard